Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday started off chilly and wet, and stayed that way most of the day.   The new toaster oven provided us with perfectly done toast, though, so we were pleased about that.

Around noon, Jim and I decided to take a run into Port Townsend.  Our bedspread was looking pretty dingy, and I wanted to get it dry cleaned.  We had another motive as well, we’ve been collecting goodies for Dortha and Mark’s 42nd wedding anniversary on Wednesday, and needed to complete the package before giving it to them.  We did invite them to go along with us to town and have lunch, but they wanted to stay in, so we went ahead on our own. 

The bedspread got dropped off and we found a little Thai restaurant for lunch.  It was delicious!  Jim had not eaten Thai before, so it was a new experience for him.  We then stopped by the store and picked up the last items for Dortha and Mark’s gift and headed back home. 

We took their gift bag, along with a vase of fresh flowers, over to them when we got back.  We visited for awhile, talking about our next adventures down the road.  Jim announced he was going back home to check on the dogs.  As he walked across the street, a couple came up and started visiting.  I didn’t see who it was until I got outside, but there was Lynda and Bob Soady, whom we met at the RV Dreams Rally in June of 08.  They’re staying up in Anacortes, which is in the San Juan Islands, and had taken a couple of days to explore the Olympic Peninsula.  They stopped by for a quick visit on their way back to Port Townsend to catch the ferry.  It was a nice surprise, and great to catch up with each other.

Lynda and Bob:

By the time we’d had our visit from Bob and Lynda, the rain had let up, and Dortha was hungry for pizza.  Off we went with them back into Port Townsend to the Pizza Factory for some comfort food.  We took a short drive around Port Hadlock afterwards, then got home to get to sleep early.  We knew Wednesday morning was going to be a very early one!

Yes, the coffee was set to start grinding and brewing at 4:00 a.m., so we could listen to it as we tried to pry our eyes open and actually get out of bed before 4:30.  Ugh, this is way too early!  But, we needed to get on the road by 6:30 to drive an hour to Port Angeles and get parked, get ferry tickets and be ready to board the ferry to Victoria, BC.

We made it out on the road before the sun did:

And got to the ferry dock in plenty of time to get our tickets.  Deb and Rod met us at the ferry office and soon we got on board.  First order of business was to find the cafe and get some coffee.  Do these people look like they need more coffee?

We wished Mark and Dortha a very Happy Anniversary! We’re so glad to be sharing this adventure to Canada with you on this special day:

The journey across the Strait of San Juan de Fuca  was 90 minutes on the MV Coho, and we pulled into the Inner Harbor at Victoria, BC around 10:00:

This is looking into the city, the ivy-covered building is the Empress Hotel:

We got off the ferry and got our bearings.  Looking back from the harbor, the ferry is the boat furthest in the background:

We stopped at the Grayline Tour stand and figured out what our options for the day might be.  Butchart Gardens was one place we definitely wanted to visit, and since it is located a few miles outside of the downtown area, we decided to take a bus tour out there and come back to explore downtown later on.

Butchart Gardens was started  by Jennie Butchart on the grounds of a limestone quarry  which supplied her husband’s Portland Cement plant nearby.  One of the most well-know aspects of this amazing place is the sunken gardens, which was developed in the actual quarry pits.  During our visit to Butchart Gardens, we took nearly 300 pictures, so sit back, relax and enjoy your tour!

 

Well, there are a lot more photos, but I will save some for a rainy day when we don’t take any pictures!

After we were all on flower overload, we hopped on the next bus going back downtown and did some walking and shopping before figuring out that we wanted to stop and have some dinner.

Soon it was time to think about getting back to the ferry dock for our journey back to Port Angeles and onward.

This about sums it up:

What a great visit to Canada!